Bumper haul for latest beach clean

A record number of volunteers helped staff from Hastings Blue Reef Aquarium collect 35 bags of rubbish in just 90 minutes as part of their latest beach clean event last the weekend.
Members of the Price family taking part in Hastings' Blue Reef Aquarium Beach Clean SUS-160426-150739001Members of the Price family taking part in Hastings' Blue Reef Aquarium Beach Clean SUS-160426-150739001
Members of the Price family taking part in Hastings' Blue Reef Aquarium Beach Clean SUS-160426-150739001

A total of 46 people, including nine members of Hastings 1st Scouts and young families, joined forces with aquarists from the Rock-a-Nore Road wildlife attraction to help clear the beach of litter. Volunteers were issued with litter pickers, bin bags and a pair of gloves, provided by Hastings Borough Council, and a reporting form to record their finds.

Blue Reef’s Leanna Lawson thanked everyone who helped. “We really appreciate it,” she said. “This was definitely the largest volunteer turnout to date and it allowed us to pick up a lot of rubbish in a relatively short time.” Leanna says conservation is a very important issue for the team at Blue Reef who believe education is key to safeguarding the future of marine animals. “It’s crucial we do not leave litter on our beaches in order to protect wildlife. The amount of rubbish collected was shocking - among the more unusual items was a car bumper but there was also a lot of broken glass and a huge number of plastic bottle tops and string.”

Rubbish collected was taken to the aquarium where it was safely disposed of. Details of the next beach clean will be posted on Hastings Blue Reef Aquarium’s Facebook page.

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